Patent CA-1230725-A (CA)
Inventor: WEINAR ROGER N
IPC: E04B1/00
Filed: 1984-09-05
Granted: 1987-12-29
Abstract: READILY SEPARABLE POSITIVELY    LOCKING PANEL FASTENERS           ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:         Readily separable positively locking panel fasteners are described which are useful for holding panels together at sides thereof and to framing members, such as wooden or metal studs, to make walls, partitions or other structures incorporating side-abutting panels, such as wallboard panels.          Mounting means for holding the panels together and to the framing member include engageable pairs of different panel fasteners, with one in each such pair being adapted to be held to a wallboard panel at a side thereof and to be fast-ened to a framing member, which fastener comprises a catch member, and the other fastener of such pair being adapted to be held to another wallboard panel, which is to be installed in side-abutting or similar relationship to the other panel by means of fasteners which comprise a latch member which is engageable with the catch member of the other type of fast-ener.  The described walls are readily assembled by screwing or similarly fastening a plurality of the catch-containing fasteners to a framing member, to hold a side of a first panel to such framing member, fastening the latch-containing fasteners to the second panel, which is to be installed abutting the first panel, and snapping the second panel into position, or otherwise installing it and its latch-containing fasteners in engaging relationship with the first panel and the catch-containing fasteners thereof, so that the latch members are positively held by the catch members and thereby are held to the framing member, and the second panel is held in abutting relationship with the first panel.  Such opera-tion may be repeated in assembling the wall.  At the ends of the wall, corner clips may be utilized to hold end panels to a corner framing, member, such as a stud.   Any panel of a wall constructed by use of the described fasteners may be readily separated from an ad-jacent or abutting panel by insertion of a separating mem-ber, such as a broad putty knife blade, between fasteners at the panel sides and repeating such blade insertions between various mounting means until the latch members are dis-engaged from the catch members along the abutting sides.        Sometimes mere insertion of the blade will cause such dis-engagement but at other times it may be desirable to apply a relatively slight sideward force on the blade.  The panel side containing the latch fasteners will normally then be movable away from the framing member and a short distance into the room, allowing the edge of the panel containing the disengaged latch clips to be grasped and pulled away from the catch fasteners that were holding it to the framing member.  Thus, the panel is disengaged from such catch fast-eners, which remain held to  a  framing member, and the panel is removed from the wall.  To replace  the panel it is lined up so that the catch fastener tabs match the openings in the panel end, the panel is slid onto the tabs,and it is then snap pressed into place at the other side thereof,where its latch members engage with catch members held to an adjacent panel.        Also, within the invention are different types of catch-containing and latch-containing fasteners, some of which are adapted to be impaled into sides of panels, some of which are adaptable to be fastened to ends of T-, I- or H-shaped stud framing members without the need for screwing them onto such members, and some of which are adapted for fitting into panels having kerfed or channeled sides.  Mounting means including sets of such fasteners are preferred embodiments of the invention.        This invention relates to means for positively locking together and aligning panels, such as wall panels made of wallboard, and for holding them to framing members to produce a wall or similar structure, the panels of which are individually readily separable therefrom.  More particularly, it relates to mounting means for holding such panels together in alignment with sides thereof abutting or essentially abutting, and for holding them to framing members, such as metal or wooden studs, which mounting means include